Elections in the Netherlands: the party of right-wing populist Geert Wilder seems to be the strongest force

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According to one prediction, the party of right-wing populist Geert Wilders emerged as the strongest force in the House of Representatives elections in the Netherlands. Dutch television reported this on Wednesday evening after the polls closed. Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) can therefore hope for 35 of the 150 seats in parliament. If the prediction is confirmed, it would be the first time that a right-wing populist party wins the Dutch parliamentary elections.

Wilders’ PVV (60) has continued to rise in the polls in recent weeks. The top candidate of the right-wing liberals, Dilan Yesilgöz, said at the start of the election campaign that she would not exclude Wilders as a coalition partner from the start.

Fighting Islam is not a priority

The outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, also a right-wing liberal, had always refused to cooperate with Wilders. Wilders wants, among other things, to close all mosques and ban the Koran. However, during the election campaign he took a more moderate tone and said that the fight against Islam is not a priority at the moment. Instead, he wants to close the borders to asylum seekers.

According to the forecast, Yesilgöz and Rutte’s party, the right-liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), will have 23 seats, a loss of eleven mandates. The alliance of Greens and Social Democrats, led by former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans, provides 26 seats, an increase of nine. The party of former Christian Democrat Pieter Omtzigt, the New Social Contract (NSC), founded only a few weeks ago, can count on 20 seats, according to the forecast.

Early parliamentary elections were necessary

It is still completely unclear which government will be formed after the elections. Omtzigt has ruled out cooperation with Wilders because he represents anti-constitutional positions. Yesilgöz emphatically does not rule out cooperation, but does not want to take office as prime minister in a government under Wilders.

The early parliamentary elections became necessary after Rutte’s centre-right coalition collapsed in the summer after just eighteen months in office. The reason for this was a dispute over migration policy. Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history, then announced his departure from national politics and now wants to become NATO secretary general. However, he will remain in office until a new government takes office. More than 13 million people were called on to vote in the elections on Wednesday. (SDA)

Source: Blick